vodka

A distilled spirit that is generally clear in color, and is run through a charcoal filter after distillation to remove most of its congeners and other flavors. Vodka may be distilled from any base mash, though the most popular materials are grains like corn and wheat. Increasingly, alternative mashes are becoming popular, employing wine grapes and other fruits to create “eau-de-vie vodkas,” named because they share some similarities to eau-de-vie brandy. There is a common misconception that vodka is always made from potatoes, but in reality, potato vodkas are comparatively rare outside of Eastern Europe and Russia.